I received one of the best letters that I have ever received in my life this week. No, it was not my Publishers Clearing House check from Ed McMahon. It was a letter from a 6 year old kiddo named Everett. Besides having better cursive handwriting than I do, he took the time to let me know that he loved the Thai bananas and wanted me to bring him some more. He finished by thanking me for all of the fruits and veggies and added a picture of me in a delivery van and him scarfing down bananas. It almost brought tears to a grown bear’s eyes.
On the surface, this letter seemed like a simple “thank you” card (which I love), but it represents a lot more than that. So let’s look at these things for a few minutes.
Keeping our focus on the forest and not the trees. I cannot tell you how many times I end up defending our regional food model to local zealots. Don’t get me wrong, there is no one who loves local food more than I do…but I am not an extremist. As I have mentioned, in order for our food system to make sense, it has to be diverse. A monotonous local food scene will implode without diversity. We have to feel like the food we eat is “sexy.” We need to enjoy the journey and not feel like eating is a labor of love. So “Buy Local” extremism will not work.
And my man Everett was a great example of this. Sure bananas are not a local item, but they are a fresh and healthy food. He was choosing to eat fresh fruit over processed potato chips. So seeing these food choices are a win for Everett’s family and a win for our society. We need more kids making healthy food choices and increasing demand for a healthy food system. Demand drives change.
Another great thing that this note showed me was a young dude being involved with his food. And when you get the youth involved with shifting the paradigm, things happen. I mean do you think that national recycling campaigns began in senior centers? No, it was in elementary schools.
Right now there is a big push to get more local food into schools. Folks, I hate to say it, but this is not where we need to put our energies. It boils down to the age old question of do you teach a woman to fish or give her a fish? Bringing local food into schools is just feeding students a fish. I would like to see all of money that we put towards buying local food switched into putting gardens in schools. This would bring lasting change.
It is just a fact and backed up by hundreds of studies that when kids (and adults) are involved with their food, either by cooking it or by growing it, they make better food choices. Less processed junk. More fresh alternatives. So for your family or for our schools, gardening and spending time in the kitchen is where the change will sprout.
There is an important distinction that needs to be addressed, and that is choice. Inviting a child into a garden or into the kitchen becomes a fun choice for them. It is different than making time in the kitchen their “chore.” When people feel like they have choices in their lives, they feel like they are in control. Call it Free Will or whatever you want, but the feeling that you are in control of your life leads to a lifestyle. They are actions that you perpetuate because you want to, not because you have to.
Most recently I have witnessed this behavior with the farm. Our average sale to members is almost back up to where it was when I (wrongfully) was forcing delivery fees on you. Folks are spending money to buy our food, but they are doing it on their terms, not mine. It is actually amazing to see happen in real life. This is not a philosophy paper, this is actually happening. Don’t dictate to people. Empower them, give them options, and then get out of the way. They will take themselves on the journey towards a healthy lifestyle, they just need options to catalyze the movement.
Lastly, we have really cool new products from pet food to heritage blue corn from Santa Ana Pueblo.
Check it out, Farmer Monte